Try Saying ‘Cruciferous’ Five Times Fast

Why you should ensure you get your daily value of cruciferous vegetables and how to cook them to maintain optimal nutrient value

We have all been that child sitting at the dinner table refusing to eat the broccoli. That green mini-tree like structure haunted our childhood and maybe that “trauma” has left you unwilling to even give it a try again as an adult. When questioning our parents as to why we need to consume this vegetable, you were probably met with the response of, “because it’s good for you!” Well, I am here to tell you that it’s not good for you. It’s GREAT for you!

Broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, cabbage, radishes, kale, horseradish, watercress, brussel sprouts, collard greens, turnip, rutabaga, bok choy, chard, and mustard greens.

All of these brightly coloured, sometimes odd and intimidating looking vegetables all fall under the category of cruciferous vegetables, and all of them carry with them components that are essential for fighting, defending, and preventing against all types of dis-ease.

Not to mention when cooked right or mixed appropriately with particular herbs and spices, they can make any dish taste incredible.

Most common vegetables belong to the cabbage family (genus Brassica). The members of this family that are edible are called cruciferous vegetables. They garnered this name because their four-petaled flowers look like a crucifer, or cross.

Similar to the way people associate crosses with a savior, cruciferous vegetables can “save” you from the repercussions of an unhealthy diet.

First, cruciferous vegetables have a dense nutrient profile that can cover a lot of your vitamin and mineral needs for a day with just 1 or 2 servings. However, they can also stunt dis-ease progression with less than 1 serving of crucifers a day. They also happen to be dense in several other key values that your body needs to be healthy including:

-         Soluble and insoluble fiber

-         Vitamin C

-         Vitamin B9 (folate)

-         Potassium

-         Selenium

-         & Phytochemicals

…to name few.

However, cruciferous vegetables also contain particular compounds that put them in the dis-ease fighting categories.

Scientists put some of these vegetables to the test to see just how these properties interact with our bodies innate ability to heal.

With broccoli, they discovered the compound glucosinolates, which revealed to have the power to fight the metastatic spread of cancer. Broccoli has shown to be able to potentially protect cell DNA from damage, activate the defenses against pathogens and pollutants, boost liver detox enzymes, target breast cancer stem cells, and reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression.

“The study conducted in 2010 had scientists lay down human lung cancer cells in a petri dish and split them down the middle. Eventually the cells crept back together in a day’s time. However, when the scientists dipped some cruciferous vegetable compounds into the petri dish, the cells were not able to creep back together. “ - How Not To Die, Dr. Michael Greger MD

One of the most popular and active compounds found in crucifers is sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is found almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables. The magic of sulforaphane was demonstrated in a study where it was shown to kill human leukemia cells in a petri dish while having little impact on the grown of normal cells.

Like curcumin, discussed in a previous blog, nature has an interesting way of distinguishing which cells do not belong in the body and acting accordingly without harming the healthy, normal cells.

Sulforaphane has also shown to be able to suppress the ability of breast cancer stem cells to form tumors and protect your brain from chronic neuro-degenerative diseases.

However, the formation of sulforaphane requires a particular chemical reaction. You cannot just eat cooked broccoli or kale, and have sulforaphane floating through your body providing all of these health benefits.

When cruciferous vegetables are cooked, the enzyme that activated sulforaphane is killed off. Whereas when raw broccoli or raw arugula is chopped or chewed, the enzyme is able to mix effectively with it’s precursor and develop sulforaphane.

However, not everybody wants to chew on raw broccoli, cauliflower, or brussel sprouts day in and out just to get their dis-ease fighting properties. So, a technique was discovered to cook these vegetables to maintain their nutrient integrity and I will share this super simple technique with you now!

The Hack and Hold Cooking Method:

This strategy is called the Hack and Hold and I learned about it in the book How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger.

“If you chop the broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, collard, cauliflower, or any other cruciferous vegetable and then wait 40 minutes, you can cook it as much as you want. At that point the sulforaphane has already been made, so the enzyme is no longer needed to require maximum benefit. (If you buy pre-chopped or shredded you can cook immediately).”— How Not To Die

But what about frozen cruciferous vegetables?

This requires a slightly different technique. Because these vegetables have been flash-cooked and frozen their sulforaphane production capabilities are pretty much gone. BUT, it was discovered if you sprinkle mustard powder on the cooking frozen vegetable you regain the sulforaphane. So not all is lost!

Although, I would always suggest to a client that fresh is better, I would take you trading in your French fries for frozen broccoli any day.

Some easy ways to get more cruciferous vegetables in your diet:

I’ve found that you can really add these vegetables to any meals to get the daily value, and then some without sabotaging any flavor because these vegetables bring such an amazing strong flavor to the dish anyways! So here are some sneaky ways I get my clients and omnivorous husband to eat their veggies.

Breakfast:

1.   Throwing in a handful of spinach or kale to an egg omelet.

2.   Handfuls of frozen or raw kale, mustard green, arugula, or collard to a smoothie with some fruit. You can never taste it!

3.   Adding frozen cauliflower to a smoothie bowl makes it super creamy and again, you cannot taste a thing when combined with fruit!

To make sure you are getting the sulforaphane from the frozen veggies mentioned about just buy the kale/greens/cauliflower raw, chop it up yourself, let it sit on your counter for 40 mins and then freeze!

Lunch:

`1. I always keep a container of sliced radishes in my fridge to throw on any bowl of salad. They also taste amazing pickled here is a recipe I use: https://gardentherapy.ca/pickled-radishes/

1.   If you are eating a bowl or salad with a non- cruciferous vegetable I.E romaine or iceberg, just grab a handful of arugula and mix it in to spice up the dish and get your 1 serving in.

2.   Try keeping steamed or cooked broccoli and cauliflower in your fridge for the week to be readily available to throw onto any meal.

Dinner:

1.   Cauliflower is so versatile you can make it into “steaks,” cauliflower “parmesan”, cauliflower “nuggets,” cauliflower “mash”

Here are some of my favorite cauliflower dishes:

• https://makeitdairyfree.com/sheet-pan-vegan-cauliflower-fajitas/

• https://100krecipes.com/healthy-cauliflower-fritters/

• https://www.twospoons.ca/cauliflower-nachos/

• https://easyhealthyrecipes.com/roasted-cauliflower-steaks/

2.   You can roast chicken or salmon on a thick bed of bok choy or cabbage with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, ginger, salt and pepper and enjoy all the distinctive herbs and garnishes.

3.   Brussel sprouts, everyone “hates” them. But have you cooked them with the right herbs and spices? Probably not. Try out these recipes on these mini cabbages and THEN let me know what you think.

• https://justinesnacks.com/creamy-lime-brussel-sprout-salad-a-vegan-version-of-emily-marikos-salmon-bowl/

• https://www.onelovelylife.com/crispy-roasted-balsamic-brussels-sprouts/

• https://sofreshnsogreen.com/recipes/crispy-roasted-brussel-sprouts-with-maple-soy-sriracha-glaze/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pin_maple_soy_brussels_image